I found my way to Sarasota county for day 3 of my trip on Florida’s Gulf Coast. I started my day off with a visit to Myakka River State Park.
I became a little obsessed with wooden observation towers in parks after visiting Tree Tops park in Davie, Florida a few weeks before. The observation tower there was so cool that I started searching Florida for other structures like it.
This research brought me to Myakka. This enormous park had so much to explore that, while I went to see the park’s famous canopy walkway, I stayed for its other features.
Driving Down The Coast
I left Crystal River at about 5pm on Saturday. I took Suncoast Parkway down through St. Petersburg which led me over some really beautiful overseas passes.
My favorite was the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. A symbol of Florida, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a cable bridge with 2 towers built in 1987. The bridge is over 4 miles long and spans across Lower Tampa Bay.
I arrived at the bridge at golden hour. The sun was low enough in the sky to cast golden rays on the bridge’s fan-like cables.
This was an impressive view with the blue bay water expanding out ahead and behind as I reached the crest of the bridge.
I took a drive over to Siesta Key as the sun was setting. I thought maybe I would check out the beach before the sunset but I didn’t quite make it. I guess it would have to wait until tomorrow!
I made it just after dark to my new Airbnb stay in the city of Sarasota. This experience was much different than my last Airbnb. The host was outside walking his dog when I drove up. He ran inside to get his mask and came out to greet me from a distance. He offered to help me with anything I needed and then left me to my keyless entry independence.
The space was a mother-in-law suite connected to the main house by a locked door. It was impeccably clean, beautifully decorated, and there were tons of thoughtful touches. The bedding even smelled like perfume! This is the Airbnb experience I was used to.
I was very relieved to have a comfortable place to stay after a long day of hiking Rainbow River Park and kayaking and snorkeling with manatees. I had another long day of activities planned for the next day, starting with my visit to Myakka River State Park!
Myakka Canopy Walkway
My day started with a 30-minute drive from my Airbnb to Myakka River State Park. This park is over 37,000 acres and spans 2 Florida counties! It opens at 8am and costs $6 per vehicle to enter.
The entrance to the main part of the park is North of route 72. From the park entrance, the canopy walk is just over 1 mile up Park Road. There’s a little bit of parking off the road to the right where you’ll find 2 trailheads.
The trail on the left (to the North) takes you to a loop nature trail but it also connects to the Canopy Walk trail. The trail on the right brings you directly up to the Canopy Walkway.
This walkway is super impressive! The suspension bridge is 25 feet off the ground and 100 feet across. The bridge is connected by 2 observation towers with the taller one shooting up to 74 feet.
All along the tower edges are little plaques dedicated to people, organizations, and companies who supported the structure’s creation and maintenance. A sign on the smaller of the two towers reads “Through research we gain the knowledge to conserve our natural world.”
Like the observation tower at Tree Tops, the taller of the two Canopy Walkway towers at Myakka was closed. The reason was probably COVID-19—to keep people from congregating at the top and not adhering to social distancing.
This one was much more aggressively blocked off than the one at Tree Tops. But…I came here to climb this thing. And it mayyyy or may not have stopped me…
I mean, just look at this view from the top. I will neither confirm nor deny how I got these photos but nevermind that—look how awesome it is! ;)
The views from up top are 360-degrees of the oak and palm canopy below. The best part? No people around and totally safe.
William S. Boylston Nature Trail
Back on the ground, I decided to follow the nature trail loop. The trail is less than a mile long and mostly flat (like all of Florida).
You can probably complete the trail in 20 minutes at a quick pace but its a leisurely 40 minutes if you spend time searching for wildlife and admiring the gorgeous flora.
The shadows under the canopy at this time of morning made some really cool shapes along the path. My favorite was the X mark formed from two palms crossing overhead!
Signs along the path give information about the local residents and plants found all along the path.
I actually saw no snakes on this trail but I’m sure they’re there!
I mostly just enjoyed viewing all the airplants on the branches overhead.
There are two points along the trail with bridges that go over wetlands.
My favorite spot was the following area that opened up with tall trees covered in reddish colored airplants. This part of the forest felt a bit enchanted as the trees creaked and the Spanish moss swayed in the breeze up above.
The trail was very quiet. And early in the morning there were only a few people walking the trail with me. So it was easy to remain a safe COVID-19 distance.
Upper Myakka Lake
When I finished the trail, I had some time to spare and decided to drive a bit further into the park.
Along the drive, I passed by a huge, treeless plain covered in bright green grass. It was surprising to see this—there’s so many golf courses in Florida I almost expected this to be one but it wasn’t! This was the natural flats along Myakka River.
I made my way to Upper Myakka Lake where there is a boat basin and ramp for tours. I contemplated putting my kayak in the water. But it was too windy and there was definitely not enough time for all that.
I took a stroll along the water’s edge. It was really pretty and peaceful here!
A low dam or “weir” at the southern end of the lake. Several people were gathered there, including some photographers, so I decided to check out what was going on.
On the opposite side of the river were a bunch of birds, including several pink flamingos! I’ve neve seen pink flamingos in the wild before.
In the foreground were alligators swimming at the surface of the river.
This was definitely a fun surprise. I liked getting to see some alligators in a different location than just seeing alligators in the Everglades.
Apparently, Myakka River State Park is known for having a ton of alligators concentrated in one location called the Deep Hole. The Park has a whole other section, the wilderness preserve south of route 72. That’s where Lower Myakka Lake is located and the Deep Hole is found there. Only 30 people per day are allowed in to visit and it’s a 2 mile hike to the location.
In Conclusion
I had a really lovely morning walking around Myakka River State Park, traversing the canopy walkway, and checking out some of the wildlife. I’d love to return to see Deep Hole and explore more of this enormous, beautiful park!
But I had more plans for my third day on the Gulf Coast. My next adventure would take me kayaking to some of the best mangroves I’ve ever explored!
